07 February 2023 , 21:47
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Stefano Domenicali has vowed to "never put a gag on anyone" as the top Formula 1 boss broke his silence on the FIA protest ban.
The governing body recently announced a change to the regulations prohibiting drivers from making "political, religious or personal" statements at official events. The move has been widely slammed by those who feel it infringes on competitors' rights to protest and express their views.
F1 chiefs have been quiet on the subject in recent weeks, during which time there have been several flashpoints between the sport's commercial rights holders and the FIA. Speaking to the Guardian, F1 chief executive Domenicali pledged to "not change" the open approach to such matter it has adopted up to now.
"F1 will never put a gag on anyone," the former Ferrari chief said. "Everyone wants to talk so to have the platform to say what they want in the right way the better it is. We have a huge opportunity because of the position of our sport which is more and more global, multicultural and multi-valued.
"We are talking about 20 drivers, 10 teams and many sponsors, they have different ideas, different views. I cannot say one is right, one is wrong but it is right, if needed, to give them a platform to discuss their opinions in an open way.
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"We will not change that approach as a sport. That should be the line of our sport, to give everyone the chance to speak in the right way, not with aggressive tones or to offend but with respect.
Ben Sulayem leads the FIA, while Stefano Domenical is chief executive of F1 itself (Getty Images)"We keep monitoring the situation. We keep the drivers informed, we meet with the Grand Prix Drivers' Association to discuss it. How we can allow the drivers to be open as human beings in our sport? Athletes can be very emotional and passionate about some things and they need to discuss that constructively with people they trust."
Domenicali went on to hint that the FIA plans to issue a clarification of its new rules in the near future, in the wake of the backlash it has received. He added: "We are talking about a regulation and the regulator is the FIA.
"I believe the FIA will clarify what has been stated, in terms of respecting certain places where you cannot do it. I am sure the FIA will share the same view as F1 but they are part of an Olympic federation so there are protocols to which they have to abide."